


My Burdens to Bear

by hedgehoggery



Series: Naruto Week 2018 [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Guilt, burden
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2019-05-25 12:34:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14977259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hedgehoggery/pseuds/hedgehoggery
Summary: Itachi closed his eyes and for a second, the sound of the water lapping against the shore and the leaves rustling gently in the trees filled his mind completely, erasing the worry and pain and guilt that wore down on him every day, every minute, every second of his life. For a brief moment he was in Konoha again, sitting on the veranda of his house with the sun gently warming his face. But footsteps approaching behind him broke the spell, and he was again forced to admit that he was Itachi of the Akatsuki. Konoha was far behind him, and the love in Sasuke’s eyes was only a distant memory.





	My Burdens to Bear

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Naruto Week 2018: Day 2 - Burden

There are few places in this world that are truly peaceful. Itachi was sure this place would make the list.

He stood on the shoreline of a lake, staring into the horizon without truly seeing. He hadn’t expected to stumble upon such calming beauty during this mission, and he was thankful for the slight mental reprieve, if only temporary. 

He closed his eyes and for a second, the sound of the water lapping against the shore and the leaves rustling gently in the trees filled his mind completely, erasing the worry and pain and guilt that wore down on him every day, every minute, every second of his life. For a brief moment he was in Konoha again, sitting on the veranda of his house with the sun gently warming his face. If he concentrated really hard, he could almost hear the subtle  _ plink … plink _ of the water fixture in his garden. Surely if he focused enough even Sasuke would appear, running up to him with eyes fulls of admiration and love, shamelessly throwing his arms around Itachi to tell the whole world how much he cared for his older brother. 

But footsteps approaching behind him broke the spell, and he was again forced to admit that he was Itachi of the Akatsuki. Konoha was far behind him, and the love in Sasuke’s eyes was only a distant memory.

“You ready, Itachi?” Kisame asked from behind him. Itachi opened his eyes without turning around. Despite everything that had happened, Itachi remained grounded enough to feel thankful that Kisame was his partner in the Akatsuki. He had never expected anyone to understand his pain and Kisame was no exception to that, but he had his own pain to bear and was patient with Itachi when the weight of his past became too much. 

“Yes, let’s continue on,” Itachi said finally, turning to smile faintly at Kisame. 

“You okay?” Kisame said. Itachi cocked his head at him in question. “You’re crying,” he clarified. Itachi reached up to his own face and was surprised to find tears there.

“Oh, I hadn’t realized,” he said. Kisame looked around at the lake and the scenery and sighed.

“Nice place,” he said. Itachi looked around in silent agreement. “We’re not in a hurry and it’s going to get dark soon. Why don’t we just call it a day? We’ll still be able to make it to the rendezvous point tomorrow.” 

Itachi hesitated before answering. He would certainly prefer to stay here by this lake for an extended length of time, but he was not one for making his teammates change plans just for him.

“I’m fine, Kisame,” he said. “We don’t have to stop for me.” Kisame shrugged and sat down on a rock.

“Then let’s stop for me,” he said, drawing in the soft dirt with his shoe. Itachi sighed and joined Kisame sitting on the rock.

“I don’t want you to bear my burdens with me, Kisame,” he said softly. “They’re mine to bear alone.” 

“I’m not asking to bear your burdens,” Kisame said, staring at the lines in the dirt made by his shoe. “But there’s no reason I can’t help you to bear them yourself. We’re a team, after all. It doesn’t do either one of us any good if you’re weighed down.” 

Itachi stared intently at the dirt, unsure how to respond, and was relieved when Kisame stood up and took the responsibility of finding words away from him.

“I’ll start a fire,” he said, walking towards the treeline. Itachi looked up from the dirt and was struck again by the serenity of the lake. A light breeze gently disturbed the water’s surface, distorting the reflection of the sky to look like a watercolor painting.

“Kisame,” Itachi said suddenly, turning around. Kisame stopped just before the treeline and looked back. “Thank you.” 


End file.
